A Complete Neighbourhood Guide To Yekaterinburg

The Ural’s major city is a sprawling tangle of buildings and landmarks that have weathered industrialisation, the Russian Revolution, the Soviet era and uncertainty after the USSR’s collapse. If you’re visiting Yekaterinburg, here’s where to find the best sights, restaurants, bars and hotels in town.

Zheleznodorozhnyy Rayon

As the central train station is here, it’s probably the first area you’ll explore. Covering the city’s west, Zheleznodorozhnyy Rayon is home to the Dinamo Sports Complex, a constructivist architectural gem that juts out on the city lake’s northern peninsula. You’ll also find the sparkling new Yeltsin Centre here, a modern political hub named after local lad and the Russian Federation’s first president. Outside of the central sights, the suburb sprawls north westerly, into parkland, along the Iset River, which has walking tracks to explore.

Dinamo Sports Complex – Ulitsa Yeremina 12, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Central Train Station – Ulitsa Vokzalnaya 22, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Yeltsin Centre – Ulitsa Borisa Eltsina 3, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Ordzhonikidzevskiy Rayon

Not really a touristy neighbourhood, Ordzhonkikidzevskiy Rayon north of the city comprises residential apartment blocks and a lot of forest and greenery. There is however, the White Tower, another of Yekaterinburg’s iconic constructivist landmarks, as well as Park Pobedy (Victory Park), an immense green space with pagodas scattered throughout, purpose-built to while an afternoon away in. If in need of a swim, Lake Shuvakish is a locals’ swimming hole nearby.

The White Tower – Ulitsa Donbasskaya 1, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Park Pobedy – Ulitsa Kirovgradskaya 101, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Lake Shuvaksih – Yekaterinburg, Russia

Kirovskiy Rayon

Also another residential suburb of apartment blocks that peters out to houses and fields, this is also another area that isn’t on many tourist hit lists. However, it does contain the unmissable Church Upon the Blood, on the site where the Romanov family, Russia’s last royals, were executed. It also borders the City Lakes, from which you can get to all the central sights.

Church Upon the Blood – Ulitsa Tolmacheva 34, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Leninskiy Rayon

A mix of apartment blocks, sights, and cafés and bars, if you’re in town for World Cup 2108 you’ll probably spend a bit of time in this neighbourhood as Central Stadium sits just on the western perimeter. Sprawling south-west of the city centre, Leninskiy Rayon includes the Iset River embankment and 1905 Square in the city centre, and the Shirokorechenskoe Mafia Cemetery on its southern outskirts. If you’re looking for a meal any time of day, you’ll also find the 24-hour café Big Mama’s House here.

Big Mama’s House – Prospekt Lenina 26, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Iset River embankment – Ulitsa Gorkogo 20, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Central Stadium – Ulitsa Repina 5, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Shirokorechenskoe Mafia Cemetery – Yekaterinburg, Russia

Oktyabrskiy Rayon

Probably the most Instagrammable neighbourhood in the city and another area you’ll get to know if in town for World Cup 2018, the competition Fan Fest zone Mayakovsky Central Park of Entertainment and Culture (MBU), is in the area’s south. Covering the south-east of central Yekaterinburg and then stretching south, Oktyabriskiy Rayon also is home to some of the city’s most well-known sites and some of the best restaurants, bars and accommodation. The Beatles monument, as well as the keyboard sculpture, both lie within the precinct, as does the Press House, a huge old constructivist relic that has been renovated into a multipurpose space in part.

MBU – Ulitsa Michurina 230, Yekaterinburg, Russia

The Beatles Monument – Ulitsa Malysheva 33, Yekaterinburg, Russia

The Keyboard Monument – Ulitsa Gorkogo, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Press House – Prospekt Lenina 51, Yekaterinburg, Russia

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